GET ON BOARD Board Members in Illinois are the Best Educated

Dr. Ted Flickinger IAPD President and Chief Executive Officer

On the topics of boardmanship and the responsible execution of their duties, board members from Illinois are the best educated in the nation. Many members make it a point to read books published by the IAPD or articles such as this. They also attend workshops, seminars and the state conference. Not only are board members in our state devoting untold hours at the local level to serve their park district, forest preserve, conservation or recreation agency, but they make an extra effort to participate in IAPD educational programs.

During recent telephone calls, some board members indicated that they like short articles on a variety of subjects. So here we go! Let me know after a couple more issues if you want this trend to continue or if you have specific subject areas you would like to see addressed in the magazine.

For instance, would you want, in addition to information that I have supplied for years, specific, real-life case studies of how boards have faced confrontational issues and situations? Please take the time to e-mail me at tflickinger@Ilparks.org or call (217) 523-4554.

Here's a case, offered by a board member, that illustrates how boards should — and should not — respond to complaints or get involved in day-to-day operations. A board member of only four weeks' tenure decided to fire a staff person against the executive's advice. The board was comprised of seven members, four of whom were new. Firing the staff person seemed to be the solution to the complaints they were hearing, so the board voted in favor of firing. But the situation blew up in their faces.

The staff person received a tremendous amount of support from people in the community. At the next board meeting, hundreds showed up and several asked board members to resign. The people who had complained about the staff person suddenly couldn't be found. The board reversed its decision. The moral if the story: hiring and firing staff is not a board's job.

From that experience, the board also learned something about handling complaints. The board should recognize that complaints go through the executive whom the board supervises. The executive should establish a protocol for handling complaints against individual staff members, and the executive should make the final decision. Good advice to an executive would be to at least inform the board so that they are aware of serious or unresolved complaints and/or of any decisions made.

Although it's acceptable for board members to have informal connections with members of the staff, board members must not play favorites.

Board/Staff Relationships

As a board member, you are acting as an individual when you're relating to the staff. You don't make commitments or decisions; that is the responsibility of the full board. A board member should not act as if staff members are subordinates. A board member does not have the right or responsibility to supervise staff; that's the job of the executive. The executive hires, fires, evaluates staff members and gives them direction. As a board member, you're a policy maker.

That doesn't mean a board member can't become involved in some of the agency's programs and services. You can volunteer in the programs. But when you do, you have to remember that you are taking off that board member hat and acting as a citizen volunteer. You follow the rules, regulations and policies governing volunteers just like everybody else. A board member may gain a greater appreciation for the overall purpose of the agency and its philosophy by volunteering. Like all other volunteers, you are working with the staff of the agency. You are going through the executive. You are not directing the staff.

If staff members try to go over the executive's head

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by bringing an issue or complaint directly to you, refrain from receiving that kind of information. Inform staff members that they have to follow the chain of command and that they shouldn't bring problems directly to board members. However, if it's a severe problem, you should bring it to the attention of the executive and president of the board for resolution.

You can steer clear of problems relating to staff by following two simple rules that sum up the board/staff relationship:

1. All formal communication between staff and board should be channeled through the executive.

2. Boards should not try to micro-manage the operations of the agency.

Granted, the distinction between policy and management is not always clear. But keep in mind that as a board member, you set guidelines and approve policy statements. You do not interfere with the application of those policies. Board members who interfere in management will undermine the executive and divert the board's attention from the issues that may be most important for the future of the organization.

Although it's acceptable for board members to have informal connections with members of the staff, board members must not play favorites and must not seek a power position by establishing special connections.

Ten Principles for Board Members to Live By

At meetings around the state, I am often asked to repeat what I used to call the "Ten Commandments for Board Members." We now refer to these points of interest as the "Ten Principles for Board Members to Live By." I even had one board president tell me that she always includes these principles in the board's monthly packets. She also includes the agency's mission statement to remind board members that every decision they make should advance that mission. The principles are to help guide the board members in the many challenges they face in making decisions.

Ten Principles for Board Members to Live By

1. Thou shalt be loyal to each other.
2. Thou shalt put the agency before personal goals.
3. Thou shalt always be honest.
4. Thou shalt not interfere with the responsibilities of the executive.
5. Thou shalt always support each other when those around you are critical.
6. Thou shalt be trustworthy as well as trusting.
7. Thou shalt constructively criticize the agency in order to make it better.
8. Thou shalt at all times remember the purpose for being a board member.
9. Thou shalt honor the past but look to the future.
10. Thou shalt mix a little humor with board tasks and make it fun to serve.

Determine Terms of Office: Should Board Members Have Term Limits?

Some board members serve one term and others serve for many years. One Granite City Park District board member served 46 years. But it's not unusual to have a member in Illinois serving 12 to 15 years. Should there be a limit to the number of years or terms a board member can serve? Opinions vary. But in the absence of a statute or ordinance on term limits, a board member should answer the following questions:

• Do I continue to enjoy working with the public?
• Do I really enjoy serving on the board, or is it time to serve some other public interest?
• Do I maintain a strong interest in the agency, its mission and its services?
• Do I provide effective support and assistance to the agency?
• Do I attend meetings regularly? Do I make contributions?
• Do I still have confidence in the effectiveness of the board and staff?
• Do I get along with my fellow board members?
• Do I continue to look at the progress of the agency without having special interests that affect my decisions?
• Will my continued membership strengthen and unify the board?

On one hand, rotation on the board broadens citizen involvement in the agency and support for parks, recreation and conservation. A change of membership introduces new blood and new points of view. New members can replace those that have become too possessive and self-perpetuating.

On the other hand, a dedicated board member doesn't just show up on the first day. It takes time to learn about an agency and how to be an efficient and effective board member. Valuable board members are too essential to replace simply because they have served a certain period of time. Boards that rotate members too frequently can develop a dependency upon an authoritative executive. A good board member is an asset and stabilizing force in the agency and throughout the community. The good board member will know when it's time to step aside.

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